


She Was Poetry

by Aestheticdenbrough



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: F/M, short but dramatic chapters, the relationships all shift a lot throughout, trying to be short but sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-07 08:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15215108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aestheticdenbrough/pseuds/Aestheticdenbrough
Summary: Bill Denbrough and Beverly Marsh are dating. Ben wishes it were him.





	1. Jealousy

The way Bill stared at the curve of Beverly's lips and his fingers traced themselves through her firey curls, filled with a childish passion. But it just _wasn't right_. All Ben can do is look on. He loves Bill, with his entire heart. But that man, he could never treat Beverly exactly how she should be treated. Probably _nobody_ could. 

Bill and Bev show up at the quarry a few minutes late, purple splotches climbing from Bev's collarbone up to her jaw and Bill just eyes them with a smirk as the losers look at them in shock. Ben watches Richie walk up to Bill and hold up his hand for a high five, and the way Bill _returns_ it. It makes Ben's skin crawl a bit. 

_It's not a game_ , Ben thinks to himself. _She's a person, not a challenge_. He huffs quietly, Mike looking over at him in sympathy. Mike seems to be the only one who can _see_ and _understand_ his feelings for Beverly. And how much this feels _wrong_.

And the next day, when they were playing truth or dare as a group and Bill dared Beverly to kiss the hottest guy in the circle. She'd straddled him right there, almost like she was sucking the life out of him with that kiss. 

Ben looked down at his hands, a sigh escaping his lips. He earns another sympathetic look from Mike, which he returns with a sheepish smile. He wants more than anything to be happy for his friends, but he can't help but ache with jealousy.

Skip forward a few weeks later and Beverly comes to Ben in a panic, "I think bill's upset with me," is all she says, looking down at the ground and looking ashamed, blaming herself for whatever is going on no doubt. 

All Ben does is take her hands in his own, "Beverly, if he doesn't make you happy, it's not worth it, it's just not.

At that, she nods and says she has to go again, only to leave Ben wondering what she plans to do.

Ben notices the awkward glances that Beverly and Bill share at the next time the losers hang out, sitting on opposite ends of Richie's couch. 

"What's up with you guys?" Stan asks after hours of mindless cartoons and nobody saying anything about how weird this was for them. 

"We broke up," Bev mumbles under her breath, leaning in closer to Richie's side, toying with his hair to have something to do with her hands. 

"Yeah," Bill adds quietly, looking over at Stan guiltily, looking like he wants to escape the situation.

"Oh," Ben responds softly, trying to hold back the warm smile that threatened his lips, reaching his hand out to hold Bev's subtly.


	2. Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan and Bev may have discovered something about Bill that he's even just only learned about himself.

Bill taps his cigarette out on the quarry edge, staring at the reflection of the pale moonlight in the water below.

_Ben and Bev?_ He questions to himself, remembering the tender glances they'd shared just days after he and Bev broke up. 

He'd been having a bit of an episode. Those happen sometimes. He'd said some hurtful things, as far as he can remember, Sometimes he just _breaks_ and apparently that makes him break other people too.

He hears bike tires scrape the dirt, turning to see none other than Stanley Uris, standing there, looking at him almost in disappointment. "You shouldn't smoke. You're going to get black lungs," he says as he sits beside him.

Bill shrugs, tossing the cig off to the side, "d-done with that one anyways," he says, still sounding so _bitter._

"You know it's alright, Bill, things just end up how they end up. You never know what's out there for you. Plenty of fish in the sea, remember to be a fisherman and not just a net," Stan shrugs, putting his hand on Bill's shoulder when he doesn't look at him. "I'm serious, Bill, there will be other girlfriends."

Bill's thumbs twirl in his lap, chewing his lip and kicking his legs. "What i-if I don't th-think I want a girlfriend?" He asks as he looks over at Stan, the moonlight only making his dark hair shine even more than usual.

"What do you mean?" Stan asks, looking concerned, trying to meet Bill's eyes.

"Nothing, I've g-gotta get home. Bug bites," he sighs, pushing himself up and rushing away to silver, a tangle of legs as he mounts her seat and pedals off before Stan can say another word.

Stan sits on the quarry's edge, dumbfounded. He gets back up to go home, his mission failed, a sense of self disappointment washing over him.

He goes to bed that night wishing he could make sense of what Bill said, and wishing he could help the tension in his friend group calm, it was making the anxiety that bubbles up in his throat and has his heart going wild seem too consistent.

He meets up with Beverly the day after, knocking on her window solemnly to be let in, starting to pace before he even starts talking.

"Bill is all sad, and he says he doesn't think he wants another girlfriend? And I'm so confused, he seems like he just really wants to be in a relationship but maybe only with you? God, Bev, I don't know how to fix thi-," he stops when she grips him by the shoulders, looking him in the eye.

"Did he specifically say the word _girlfriend_ ?" She asks curiously.

"Yeah," Stan responds softly, his eyes meeting hers, not understanding why that was so important.

"He has a crush on a boy," she says simply, shrugging her shoulders. She remembers the way he'd glare jealously at Eddie whenever he and Richie would kiss, and how his eyes traced Mike's muscles when they were showing, or even how she'd found that drawing of Stan on his dresser-

"It could even be you," she adds, sitting back on her bed where she'd been when he arrived, not providing any further explanation, but fully prepared to have more conversations like this one in the near future.


	3. The Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill tries to figure out why Stan is avoiding him.

Ben and Bev sit across from each other, the golden sun beating on their rosey faces, crooked young grins showing their contentedness. They share a pastel pink milkshake, the striped red straws contrasting the lightness of it. Even more contrast in Bev's yellow sundress, her same worn brown sandals on her feet.

"Beverly, I know it's early. But, I think I love you," Ben says softly, blush taking over his slightly sunburnt face.

All Bev can do is smile, hiding her face in her hands with a pleased giggle, "I love you too," she returns, smiling even more how she notices how happy watching her lips form the words seemed to make Ben.

Bev swings her left foot back and forth, looking down at her hands, picking at her unkempt nails before looking up at Ben. "That felt right," she adds, since it hadn't felt the same with anyone else she'd said it to.

Ben flushes a deeper rose up to his ears, closing his eyes with his close-lipped smile, "It did," he agrees with a shy nod.

Bev takes another sip of the shake, tapping the tip of her shoe on the floor, not sure what to lead up with, she couldn't think of anything more exciting or genuine.

She hears steps, looking over to see Bill coming up to the cafe, almost walking in before he seems to notice them at the cafe table outside. "Bev, I h-have a problem," he says, ignoring Ben there, leaning his hands on the table.

"Yes, William?" Bev asks, looking peeved, her eyebrows creased in together, folding the skin between them, Ben studies how her freckles shift as her expression does. 

"It's St-stan, is h-he upset with me? He's b-been ignoring me," Bill asks, sounding truly hurt and scared, tapping his toe on the ground underneath himself anxiously.

"He's not upset with you, no," Bev says simply, albeit not even knowing, she doesn't know anything at all about Stan ignoring Bill, but she'd ask him about it later, probably, if she remembers.

"C'mon B-bev, you're best fr-friends, you must know something?" Bill pleads, a frown on his face, obviously really worried that he'd messed up with someone else he has feelings for.

"I seriously don't, and Bill- I'm on a date," she whines back, gesturing her head across the table to Ben as if to be more obvious.

Ben offers an awkward smile, waving his fingers at him, suddenly feeling even more out of place in the situation.

"Go talk to him, Billy," Bev suggests, looking just as uncomfortable, wanting to continue her time with Ben instead of dealing with her ex's dating problems.

Bill feels unwanted in the situation, turning on his heel to get back to his bike, "Thanks f-for the advice!" He calls back, at least half sarcastically.

He pedals himself all the way to the Uris residence, knocking on the heavy door until he hears someone coming to get it. 

Stan opens it, looking flustered as soon as he sees Bill's firey hair and tight frown. "Uh- Bill, how can I help you?" He asks, his already normally quiet voice shaking. All he's been able to think about since he and Bev talked was the possibility of Bill liking him. _I like him, I... I don't want to be a rebound. I can't be a rebound_ , he thinks to himself, the thoughts triggered back as he invites Bill in.

Bill steps in, slipping his shoes off out of habit, he looks Stan in the eye for a moment, seeing a flicker of exactly how his own eyes probably look now. He puts his hands on Stan's shoulders steadily, going in for a kiss.

He sucks Stan's lower lip into it, being too used to passionate and lustful kisses, unsure how a kiss that's supposed to correlate to a confession is supposed to go, so all he can do is go for it.

Stan pulls away after a while, getting only partially into it due to the shock, "I- I like you too," he answers, using words instead of actions, not being as impulsive as Bill can be.


	4. Uris Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Stan come out to Donald and Andrea about their relationship.

The fluffy comforter curls around Bill's thighs like a nest as he sits down on Stan's bed carefully. He hears the shower running in the other room, Andrea had let him in and told him to go right up. This evening Bill and Stan plan to announce their relationship to Stan's parents.

With Bill's it wouldn't matter, they never even have to know or be told, they probably wouldn't even listen if they _had_ been told. Donald and Andrea, however, could even figure it out on their own with their own dedication. They're protective of him, but good parents nonetheless. Just worrisome.

Bill can count on his hands how many positive interactions he's had with his own parents in the past month or so. Stan's parents are nice. He feels safe with them, but that doesn't make it any easier to come out to them and tell them he's dating their son all in one go.

Stan comes out with a towel around his waist, whistling softly to himself as he strolls into his room. He jumps and nearly drops his towel when he sees Bill, he hadn't expected to see him so soon, even more surprised that his mom would send Bill up to his room while he was showering, though he wasn't upset about it, just slightly disgruntled.

"Uh- hi," Bill says awkwardly, running his hand through his ginger hair though it doesn't go very well through the gel he'd attempted for the event. 

Stan smiles awkwardly, "Can you uh, step out while I get dressed?" He asks awkwardly. They may be dating, but they're still young and not ready for a step like that, especially how short the relationship has been thus far.

Bill nods, "Whatever m-makes you comfortable," he smiles softly, already having been in a serious relationship where this situation wouldn't have happened, but of course this is different and it's his goal to respect Stan's wishes.

Stan looks himself in the mirror nervously, eyeing his chest and his face and his hair, he can't help but be insecure. He doesn't often feel bad about the way he looks but sometimes the situation comes around where he just feels on some level of inadequate.

He'll always think of Bill as more attractive, he doesn't think he deserves him. In reality, he does, but his anxiety eats away at him and bubbles into the perception of his worth. He pulls a blue polo from his top left drawer, making sure to wipe his pruney fingers on his towel before they clasp the handle.

He opens the neck hole wide so the fabric doesn't hit his damp hair, really particular about that sort of thing. Textures always get to him, and any texture is made worse by wetness.

He pulls on his briefs and khaki shorts next, running his hands over the fabric several times to smooth it to his satisfaction. Finally he twirls a lock of his hair on his finger to it lays better around his forehead. He looks at himself and sighs, as ready as he can possibly get.

He steps out of his room after letting his eyes unlock from his own in the mirror, hanging around the doorway, "I'm ready," he says simply to Bill, who hadn't wandered far in his waiting.

The two walk hand in hand downstairs, letting their fingers drift apart before they reach the bottom, rather to tell the Uris' verbally instead of with their actions, it seems immature not to open a conversation about it.

They've already decided they'd likely answer any questions that Stan's mother and father have, having nothing to hide regardless. Stan's parents really just care about his well-being and as long as Bill isn't hurting him, it's likely they'll support them. 

Bill sees them in the kitchen first, "Hi, Mrs. U-uris," he says shyly with a gentlemanly smile, "Can I h-help you with anything?" He asks somewhat softly.

She hands him a bowl of fruit salad, "Be a dear and take this to the dining room?" She asks him sweetly, a red lipped smile gracing her face.

Bill smiles and nods easily, taking the bowl with both hands and walking carefully to place it on the table. He looks over his shoulder at Stan, smiling softly at him. The relationship had a rocky start, yes, but it's smoothed and softened out and they're both smitten.

The Urises enter the room, setting the table with ease like a well oiled machine. Bill has always liked dinner with them, everyone knows what they're doing.

Andrea Uris smiles as everyone sits down. She seems to invite Bill over for dinner a lot. He's polite, but that's not her reason. He makes her Stan smile, and he always seems to look much too thin despite how much he eats when he comes, though she attributes that to the fast metabolism of a teenage boy.

Donald Uris doesn't mind company. He's not a fan of it and he doesn't ever feel like he's adequi entertaining, but he goes along with it, knowing it's fun for his wife and son. Through the years he's grown a fondness onto the losers that won't fade.

Everyone slips into their seats quietly, starting on their food in silence and now it's evident that there's serious news to be shared. Bill would say so, but he sees Stan looking down at the table and eating his food slowly in a way that says he's avoiding speaking. 

The group talks about their days, the programs they've seen on tv recently and even odd things they've seen around town. Nothing that holds any weight gets brought up though, hence the cluelessness of the adults of the Uris household.

Finally, the forks scraping against plates stop and there's nothing left to say except what he and Stan have been planning. "Uh, A-andrea, Donald," Bill acknowledges them using the names they've countlessly told him to use instead of Mrs. and Mr.

"Stan and I a-are uh," Bill starts, the nervousness creeping back to steal his thunder and snatching away the sudden adrenaline that had been gained and short lived. 

"We're dating," Stan blurts out, looking up from his plate for practically the first time that evening. "Bill is my boyfriend," he breathes out, sounding relieved that the words have finally left his mouth, though slightly nervous on how they hang in the air dryly.

It takes a few seconds of processing, but before they know it, Andrea and Donald have both Bill and Stan in a tight hug, the wooden chairs scraping on the floor forgotten as their arms wrap around the boys.

The anxiety melts away and tension falls from Bill's shoulders that he hadn't even known he was holding. And finally, he realizes that he has a family with the Urises. Not just Stan, but the three of them.


End file.
